Texas Hearing Institute Hit by Ransomware Attack, Exposing Sensitive Data
The Texas Hearing Institute, a Houston-based nonprofit serving children with hearing loss and their families, suffered a significant data breach in early 2026. On March 20, 2026, the organization detected unauthorized access to its systems and engaged a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate. The probe concluded on April 22, 2026, confirming that sensitive personal information had been compromised.
The INTERLOCK ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack on April 2, 2026, via a dark web posting, asserting they had exfiltrated 540 GB of internal data. After a review, Texas Hearing Institute finalized the scope of the breach on June 19, 2026, identifying exposed data including names, Social Security numbers, and medical records.
The nonprofit, which has provided audiology, speech therapy, and educational services since 1947, serves children across Texas and parts of Louisiana. Legal firm Shamis & Gentile P.A. is now investigating potential compensation for affected individuals.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/investigations/texas-hearing-institute-data-breach-2026
Texas Hearing Institute cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/texas-hearing-institute
"id": "TEX1782830481",
"linkid": "texas-hearing-institute",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "3/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Children with hearing loss and '
'their families across Texas and '
'parts of Louisiana',
'industry': 'Healthcare / Audiology & Speech Therapy',
'location': 'Houston, Texas, USA',
'name': 'Texas Hearing Institute',
'type': 'Nonprofit'}],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
'Social Security numbers',
'Medical records']},
'date_detected': '2026-03-20',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-04-02',
'date_resolved': '2026-06-19',
'description': 'The Texas Hearing Institute, a Houston-based nonprofit '
'serving children with hearing loss and their families, '
'suffered a significant data breach in early 2026. '
'Unauthorized access was detected, leading to the compromise '
'of sensitive personal information, including names, Social '
'Security numbers, and medical records.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': '540 GB of internal data',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential compensation claims under '
'investigation'},
'investigation_status': 'Completed',
'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes', 'ransomware_strain': 'INTERLOCK'},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2026-04-02',
'source': 'Dark web posting by INTERLOCK ransomware group'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Potential compensation claims '
'under investigation by Shamis & '
'Gentile P.A.'},
'response': {'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
'third_party_assistance': 'Engaged a third-party cybersecurity '
'firm'},
'threat_actor': 'INTERLOCK ransomware group',
'title': 'Texas Hearing Institute Ransomware Attack and Data Breach',
'type': 'Ransomware'}